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The unique Classical Connections format features musical examples and explanation by DPO Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, followed by a performance of the entire composition. Directly following is a casual Q&A and an Ice Cream Social with a free scoop of Graeter's.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote his Symphony No. 4 during an emotionally tumultuous time in his life; he was in the process of marrying and then separating from his wife (all in the span of two months). The feelings and drama within his life certainly bled into his work, but with an exciting outcome. The Symphony No. 4 is a intensely emotional work and it is certainly among his most personal. To Tchaikovsky himself, the piece seemed an “emotional diary in music.” He layered the symphony with fate and destiny as a theme, conveying helplessness, yet hope.

Completed in 1878, Symphony No. 4 has Tchaikovsky finding his true voice as a symphonic composer. The work is also a wonderful example of orchestral voice, with the orchestra as a solitary voice “singing” the work. The composer dedicated this symphony to the widow Madame von Meck, a woman he never met face-to-face, yet whom he considered a confidante. Von Meck was also his benefactor, giving him the freedom to become the most accomplished Russian composer of the 19th century.